1. Field of the Invention
This disclosed device relates to reclamation of liquid fuels such as gasoline or diesel fuel. More particularly it relates to a method and device for recapturing fuel from the fuel tanks of vehicles undergoing the salvaging process in vehicle salvage yards. In particular, it relates to a device providing a safe and efficient reclamation of liquid fuels from mounted fuel tanks of vehicles being salvaged.
2. Prior Art
With the advent of the automobile, an industry was soon thereafter initiated to salvage parts and metals and other materials and components from motor vehicles. Every year there are thousand of vehicles driven, hauled, or dragged to salvage yards, some still with usable parts and surprisingly unused fuel as well.
Salvage yards modernly employ elaborate systems to keep track of individual vehicles as well as all usable parts in vehicles in their inventory to maximize profits on these individual parts. Unbroken windshields, exhaust systems, light assemblies, and transmissions are just a few examples of recyclable and reusable parts taken from junked vehicles.
Motor vehicle salvage is growing due to the need for newer and cleaner burning fuels and more efficient engines and means of travel. As a consequence, more and more, older vehicles are being scrapped and salvaged at salvage yards.
Most, if not all of these vehicles, upon arrival at a conventional wrecking yard or salvage facility, have tanks containing petroleum fuels such as gasoline and diesel. In past years, the contents of such tanks were simply dumped onto the ground causing extensive soil and groundwater pollution. Modernly, this type of behavior is highly illegal as in previous decades many acres of land have had to be excavated to remove harmful petroleum products from the soil.
Modern salvage yard owners, being attuned to environmental aspects and legal requirements, have made great strides in preventing intentional and accidental spillage of fuel tank contents onto the soil. In their efforts to maintain a clean environment, and to abide by environmental regulations, large quantities of fuels have been required for collection from the vehicles in such salvage yards. Due to stringent laws and regulations on pollution and fire hazards, collection of these liquid fuels is one of the first items of business when a new salvage vehicle reaches the salvage yard. Any vehicle with a tank is conventionally inspected for fuel contents which if found, must be removed so as to prevent any accidental spillage and fire hazards. This is done generally before a vehicle is placed into inventory in the yard with others.
It has been ascertained, that the environmental requirements can actually be profitable if handled to collect usable fuels such as gasoline and diesel in quantities that may be recycled. In today's market of high gas and oil prices and need for alternative fuels, methods of preventing fuel waste and pollution have evolved from being important to being profitable as well.
For salvage yards though, the primary profit comes from the resale of car parts and not necessarily the left over gas and oil. Since labor is the largest cost for most salvagers, minimizing the required labor to remove fuels and abide by environmental regulations, helps maximize their profits on the parts themselves.
Previous systems have not provided any means or method to efficiently extract fuels from tanks, prior to storage, crushing, or disassembly of vehicles and to concurrently avoid spills and chance of fire, and allow for the sealing of drained tanks if required by law. As a consequence, there is no widely used system or device adapted specifically to remove unused gas from gas tanks of salvaged vehicles efficiently and in a fashion where it may be easily recycled. Many salvage yards still remove the tank by hand, using wrenches to remove them and a screwdriver for puncturing with a hammer. Collection of fuel is by hand and employs a bucket or drum. This is both inefficient and labor intensively costly.
Other than removal by hand, using costly labor, it is known that the siphon principal can be employed with a simple tube set in the fuel tank to effectively remove fuel. But it can be noted that such a process is often not employed easily on the first attempt and the chance of ingesting harmful chemicals is greatly abundant. Also, once the siphon has started, often fluid is lost when transferring from the users mouth or a pump, to a receptacle. Therefor this method is not only undesirable, in an environmental point of view but also from a salvage yard owner's point of view, due to the danger imposed upon it's employee.
It has also been known that the dangers of a siphon can be averted by the use of a pump system. U.S. Pat. No. 1,582,399 to Helander teaches of a manually operated pump in which siphonic flow is started. Although the dangers of self siphoning have been averted there still requires the labor of pumping. Also, siphoning is mainly done from the side of the vehicle through the gas fill door therefor any other work to be done underneath the car must be halted.
Salvaged vehicles do not need to retain an intact fuel tank (unless of course the fuel tank is to be salvaged) so the use of non-intrusive methods of fluid removal only add more work and in turn costs. A punctured hole can obtain the same results. Since much of the salvage work done in a salvage yard is completed when the vehicle is raised on a automotive lift or driven over an automotive work pit where ample space is provided, it is economically more viable to remove the fuel when the vehicle is in this arrangement to allow for other work to be done during the draining period.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,375,862 to Sirianno teaches a device for receiving fluids from vehicles with employment of a funnel engaged upon a rolling platform where a receptacle is placed under to collect fluid and later be removed. This device does not employ any method of piercing a tank to retrieve the fluid of a completely enclosed tank, and instead relies upon a draining plug (which modern tanks do not employ), or requires the user to create a hole such as with a hammer and screwdriver. Concurrently, they must carefully place the collection device under the spewing hole they create. Although the device includes a manually operated height adjustment screw, this method is neither fast nor convenient for large changes in height.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,230,002 to Skidmore teaches a two in one oil pan plug remover and funnel for used oil collection. This device, similar to Sirianno requires the presence of a removable plug which many modern vehicles lack. Neither does Skidmore provide any method of translating a collection funnel to varying heights to capture fuel.
As such, there is a continuing unmet need for an improved device and system of easily engaged components, which will allow for the removal of fluids, from tanks with and lacking drainage apertures, from a salvaged vehicle fuel tank in an efficient and safe manner. Such a device should employ minimal labor to reduce costs, as well as minimal time to reduce labor. Further, such a device should provide for concurrent opening of the tank at a lower end and collection so as to avoid spilling. Finally, such a system should provide a means to route the collected fuels from small tanks to a reservoir where it may be collected and recycled by larger transporting tankers.